Veterinary checkpoints in Kassala

The three states of eastern Sudan, Kassala, Gadarif and Red Sea, are among the poorest in Sudan. Chronic poverty and food insecurity is widespread. More than two thirds of the region’s population live in rural areas and more than a third of poor households in these states keep livestock.

Despite raising an estimated 15.2 million beasts in 2012, representing approximately 17% of Sudan’s livestock, the livestock sector remains severely under-developed. Once of the main problems facing this sector in Sudan, and Eastern Sudan in particular, is the high prevalence of animal diseases, including trans-boundary diseases. These have the potential to seriously affect the health, productivity and trade of livestock and therefore constitute a real threat to rural and pastoral livelihoods.

State veterinary authorities lack the resources and capacity to detect, monitor and control trans-boundary animal diseases. This is compounded by the weakness of veterinary services and poor infrastructure facilities across the region. Nevertheless, there is considerable potential to increase the level of protection from animal disease by strengthening institutional capacities for epidemio-surveillance and coordination of trans-boundary animal disease control at the state level.

The European Commission has allocated EUR 3,500,000 under a “Special Fund” for Sudan to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations in Sudan, to support the livestock sector. It aims to enhance livestock disease control to improve production and trade in East Sudan.

Kassala state is one of the three beneficiary states of LESP-ES. The state has a rich variety of animal species.

One of the activities is the establishment of veterinary check points for monitoring animal disease. The check points monitor animal movements to conrol the spread of epidemic diseases (either across boundaries or national states) through professionally recognized activities.

In cooperation with the state General Directorate of Animal Resources, Practical Action Sudan has established five veterinary check points in the form of caravans, distributed in logical geographical locations to provide veterinary services.

The caravan contains an office and a bedroom for the workers. It was also provided with a motorbike as a means of transport for the technician working at the site under the supervision of a veterinarian. Every check point receives regular visits by veterinarian with a mobile veterinary unit to connect the five points with the state headquarters. Caravan and mobile units are well equipped with all their needs for camps, field work and field diagnostics.

These points were a real addition to disease surveillance efforts and the geographical expansion of veterinary services to the target beneficiaries.

Khalil Zayed Ibrahim – deputy General Manager Animal Wealth said: “Check points also contributed positively in drawing a preliminary picture of the animal disease map in the state through sharing in surveys which followed by data analysis to gain fruitful information that leading to better disease control plans.”